Round 3 Hostplus SANFLW Match Wraps

By WARREN PARTLAND

Sturt has broken through for its first win of the Hostplus SANFLW League season after conquering Glenelg by 26 points at The Summit, Mt Barker.

The Double Blues were always in control of the contest against a Tigers outfit which rarely threatened to kick a goal.

The Tigers, who failed to score in the opening quarter, have now lost all three games to kick off their campaign.

Isobel Kuiper sparked the Double Blues into action and her heavy influence was reflected in the statistics when she had 18 possessions in a stunning first-half performance.

Georgia King was also outstanding for the Double Blues and her second goal, a brilliant effort from near the boundary line, midway through the third quarter put her side 25 points clear.

At that stage, the inside 50 count was 28-10 in favour of the Double Blues, evidence of their supremacy.

Bays ball-magnet Jessica Bates was her typical self, gathering plenty of possessions and Ellie Kellock was again heavily involved with 23 disposals.

Norwood withstood a titanic struggle with North Adelaide at Hisense Stadium to break through for its first win of the season, holding off the Roosters by four points.

Neither team was able to add a goal in the final quarter and the Redlegs were able to hang on to secure the valuable two premiership points.

The Redlegs were unable to capitalise on their dominance of the possession count and a superior clearance tally, while the Roosters had more visits inside their attacking 50.

The tone for the challenging struggle was established in the opening quarter when no score was posted. However, it took less than two minutes of the second term for the first goal when Kate Alexander kicked truly for the Redlegs.

Tiara Hatchard responded for the Roosters when she took several bounces, before kicking the goal for a crucial major against the wind.

Sarah Branford was busy for the Redlegs, amassing 20 disposals, while classy Laela Ebert was the highest possession earner for the Roosters with 19.

A superb performance from ruck Soriah Moon has propelled South Adelaide to a 14-point victory over West Adelaide at Hisense Stadium.

Moon was supreme at the contest, compiling 25 hitouts, 24 possessions and 14 clearances. The Panthers’ star also had nine tackles to climb the club to second on the ladder.

Emma Charlton also had a heavy influence for the Panthers with 25 possessions, nine tackles and six clearances, while Caitlin Crouch had 24 disposals and nine tackles.

With Moon in dominant form, the Panthers controlled the hitouts and clearances. However, the Bloods nailed the only two goals of the first quarter.

The response from the Panthers was a strong statement on the contest, bagging the only three goals of the second term.

There were no goals in the third quarter and Abby Woodward kicked the only goal of the final term to cement the win for the Panthers.

Emily Mableson collected 24 possessions for the Bloods and Zoe Venning was at it again, finishing with 23 disposals, 12 tackles and five clearances.

Woodville-West Torrens made a massive statement on the Hostplus SANFLW League with an emphatic 54-point triumph over Central District at Eastern Parade Reserve.

Claiming a third successive win to open the season, the Eagles demolished the Bulldogs with a high-quality performance to announce themselves as serious title contenders.

And they cruised to the top of the premiership ladder despite failing to kick goals in the second and fourth quarters.

The magnitude of the win was built on the back of a brilliant eight goal effort in the third term when the Eagles, who owned all the key statistics, tore the game apart.

The tone was established in the first quarter when the Eagles had 3.4 on the scoreboard before Katelyn Rosenzweig kicked the first of her two goals for the Bulldogs late in the term.

Imogen Trengove was outstanding for the Eagles, recording a team-high 20 disposals and bagging three goals, while captain Poppy Waterford did her usual thing with 10 tackles and five clearances.

Norwood recruit Tesharna Maher was the highest possession winner for the Bulldogs with 16.